BJWSA: water is safe to drink, despite different smell, taste or color

Heavy rains in the last month mean customers of the Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority may experience some changes in their water.

Specifically, water may be brown or tan when it comes from the tap and may smell different. The condition could last for several weeks.

Because of the rainfall, waters of the flooded Savannah River reached land areas that are customarily dry. Flooding raises the level of organic matter and tannins in the river, causing water to change color. It may give consumers’ water a musty taste or odor.

The discoloration could run through the fall, despite adjustments to the treatment processes at the authority’s two water plants.

The water is still safe to drink and use normally, according to the authority.

“The Savannah River rose to the highest level we’ve seen since the early 1990s,” said Ed Saxon, general manager of the authority.

“We are doing everything we can to eliminate color and musty taste or odor from our finished water, and we appreciate customer patience while we work through these issues.”

The authority, based in Okatie, provides an average of 20 million gallons of drinking water per day to about 48,000 retail customers, along with drinking water to wholesale customers who resell or redistribute it to their residents. That amounts to supplying drinking water to 150,000 Lowcountry residents.

The authority also collects treats, and recycles about 7 million gallons of treated wastewater for about 38,000 sewer accounts per day, according to its website.

Consumers may check for updates on the status of the discolored water at www.bjwsa.org or on BJWSA’s Facebook page.